"Just another NWO Globalist Shill & CIA Operative used as a 'Political Puppet' to be used when required..!

The Role of the CIA: Behind the Dalai Lama’s Holy Cloak

March 23, 2008

This incisive article by Michael Backman outlines the relationship of the Dalai Lama and his organization to US intelligence.

The Dalai Lama has been on the CIApayroll since the late 1950s. He is an instrument of US intelligence.

An understanding of this longstanding relationship to the CIA is essential, particuarly in the light of recent events. In all likelihood US intelligence was behind the protest movement, organized to occur a few months prior to the Beijing Olympic games.

M. C. 23 March 2008

Rarely do journalists challenge the Dalai Lama.

Partly it is because he is so charming and engaging. Most published accounts of him breeze on as airily as the subject, for whom a good giggle and a quaint parable are substitutes for hard answers. But this is the man who advocates greater autonomy for millions of people who are currently Chinese citizens, presumably with him as head of their government. So, why not hold him accountable as a political figure?

No mere spiritual leader, he was the head of Tibet’s government when he went into exile in 1959. It was a state apparatus run byaristocratic, nepotistic monks that collected taxes, jailed and tortured dissenters and engaged in all the usual political intrigues. (The Dalai Lama’s own father was almost certainly murdered in 1946, the consequence of a coup plot.)

The government set up in exile in India and, at least until the 1970s, received $US1.7 million a year from the CIA.

The money was to pay for guerilla operations against the Chinese, notwithstanding the Dalai Lama’s public stance in support of non-violence, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

The Dalai Lama himself was on the CIA’s payroll from the late 1950s until 1974, reportedly receiving $US15,000 a month ($US180,000 a year).

The funds were paid to him personally, but he used all or most of them for Tibetan government-in-exile activities, principally to fund offices in New York and Geneva, and to lobby internationally.

Details of the government-in-exile’s funding today are far from clear. Structurally, it comprises seven departments and several other special offices. There have also been charitable trusts, a publishing company, hotels in India and Nepal, and a handicrafts distribution company in the US and in Australia, all grouped under the government-in-exile’s Department of Finance.

The government was involved in running 24 businesses in all, but decided in 2003 that it would withdraw from these because such commercial involvement was not appropriate.

Several years ago, I asked the Dalai Lama’s Department of Finance for details of its budget. In response, it claimed then to have annual revenue of about $US22 million, which it spent on various health, education, religious and cultural programs.

The biggest item was for politically related expenditure, at $US7 million. The next biggest was administration, which ran to $US4.5 million. Almost $US2 million was allocated to running the government-in-exile’s overseas offices.

For all that the government-in-exile claims to do, these sums seemed remarkably low.

It is not clear how donations enter its budgeting. These are likely to run to many millions annually, but the Dalai Lama’s Department of Finance provided no explicit acknowledgment of them or of their sources.

Certainly, there are plenty of rumours among expatriate Tibetans of endemic corruption and misuse of monies collected in the name of the Dalai Lama.

Many donations are channelled through the New York-based Tibet Fund, set up in 1981 by Tibetan refugees and US citizens. It has grown into a multimillion-dollar organisation that disburses $US3 million each year to its various programs.

Part of its funding comes from the US State Department’s Bureau for Refugee Programs.

Like many Asian politicians, the Dalai Lama has been remarkably nepotistic, appointing members of his family to many positions of prominence. In recent years, three of the six members of the Kashag, or cabinet, the highest executive branch of the Tibetan government-in-exile, have been close relatives of the Dalai Lama.

An older brother served as chairman of the Kashag and as the minister of security. He also headed the CIA-backed Tibetan contra movement in the 1960s.

A sister-in-law served as head of the government-in-exile’s planning council and its Department of Health.

A younger sister served as health and education minister and her husband served as head of the government-in-exile’s Department of Information and International Relations.

Their daughter was made a member of the Tibetan parliament in exile. A younger brother has served as a senior member of the private office of the Dalai Lama and his wife has served as education minister.

The second wife of a brother-in-law serves as the representative of the Tibetan government-in-exile for northern Europe and head of international relations for the government-in-exile. All these positions give the Dalai Lama’s family access to millions of dollars collected on behalf of the government-in-exile.

The Dalai Lama might now be well-known but few really know much about him. For example, contrary to widespread belief, he is not a vegetarian. He eats meat. He has done so (he claims) on a doctor’s advice following liver complications from hepatitis. I have checked with several doctors but none agrees that meat consumption is necessary or even desirable for a damaged liver.

What has the Dalai Lama actually achieved for Tibetans inside Tibet?
If his goal has been independence for Tibet or, more recently, greater autonomy, then he has been a miserable failure.

He has kept Tibet on the front pages around the world, but to what end? The main achievement seems to have been to become a celebrity. Possibly, had he stayed quiet, fewer Tibetans might have been tortured, killed and generally suppressed by China.

In any event, the current Dalai Lama is 72 years old. His successor — a reincarnation — will be appointed as a child and it will be many years before he plays a meaningful role. As far as China is concerned, that is one problem that will take care of itself, irrespective of whether or not John Howard or Kevin Rudd meet the current Dalai Lama.

PS - Just another NWO Political Servant to be brought out and paraded when required..!

What's so 'SPIRITUAL' about that..!..?

Here is a response to this article, written by a professor of Tibetan at Harvard Law School:

Autralian Newspaper: The Age.com
COMMENT by Dr. Lobsang Sangay

In his recent column ("Behind Dalai Lama's holy cloak", 23/5), Michael Backman chastised journalists for not challenging the Dalai Lama. In doing so, he resorted to questionable journalistic standards by accusing the Dalai Lama of nepotistic and non-democratic behaviour based on "hard facts" that are either manipulated to sensationalise his case or are downright wrong.

Backman alleges that the Dalai Lama advocates greater autonomy for millions of people who are now "Chinese citizens, presumably with him as head of their government". The fact is just the opposite.

In July 1981, then Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang announced "China's Five-point Policy towards the Dalai Lama", urging the Dalai Lama to return so he "will enjoy the same political status and living conditions as he had before 1959". The Dalai Lama rejected the offer and stated that the issue was not his own position in Tibet, but the welfare of 6 million Tibetans.

In 1992, the Dalai Lama categorically declared that he would not hold any official position in the government of future Tibet. Rather, he would hand over his traditional authority to an elected leader of Tibet and "serve the people as an individual outside the government".

It is a fact that the traditional government of Tibet was unegalitarian and inefficient. However, when the Dalai Lama was enthroned to be the leader in 1950, he was merely 15 years old, and faced the daunting task of handling the invasion and occupation of Tibet by Communist China. In exile, as part of an anti-Communist campaign, it is true that the American Government supported the Khampa guerilla resistance force till early 1970s.

However, it is not true that the Dalai Lama was "personally" paid $US15,000 a month by the CIA. As it is the case today, he was kindly hosted by the Indian Government as an "honoured guest". The fund was not even part of the budget of the Tibetan government in exile. In actuality, the main source was not the CIA, but fulfilment of a pledge made by US ambassador to India Loy Henderson in 1951.

On the advocacy of non-violence, the fact is that the Dalai Lama sent an emotional appeal on audio tape to the Tibetan guerillas in early 1970s, telling them to disarm. This message demoralised many of the fighters, and a few even committed suicide. Soon after that message from the Dalai Lama, the camp disbanded.

The budget of the Tibetan government in exile totals approximately $US20 million ($A24 million). It is openly debated in yearly Tibetan parliament budgetary sessions for two weeks, and allocated transparently. Compared with other refugee groups, the Tibetan government in exile is arguably the most efficient and effective in providing service to 130,000 Tibetan refugees with such limited budget. Still, the general impression is that the Dalai Lama must be raising millions of dollars.

On the contrary, strict rules apply to the Dalai Lama's visits abroad that these cannot be used for fund-raising purposes. During his trip to Australia, as is true everywhere, his organisers are instructed to charge fees only to cover the actual expenses of the event. More impressively, the Dalai Lama does not charge even a penny for speaking fees. He speaks for free so that he will be accessible to as many people as possible.

Perhaps the most irresponsible reporting in the column is the accusation that the Dalai Lama "has been remarkably nepotistic, appointing members of his family to many positions of prominence", like many Asian politicians.

The facts are as follows: as per his specific instruction, a provision was introduced in the Tibetan constitution of 1963 and the Charter of 1991 that the Dalai Lama can be impeached by the parliament.

From 1960 to 1990, the Dalai Lama had the sole constitutional power to appoint exiled Tibet's cabinet ministers, heads of departments, and members of parliament.

He never appointed anyone from his family as ministers, parliamentarians or heads of departments. Only his brother-in-law served as the head of the Security Department and his elder brother headed a fledgling start-up (the Tibetan Medicine Institute). As a matter of fact, from 1978 to 1986, the Gayong Mimang Tsokcheng, the highest decision-making body, discussed and consistently recommended that the Dalai Lama appoint his elder brother Gyalo Thondup as the Prime Minister. Each time, the Dalai Lama declined.

In 1991, as part of democratic reforms, the Dalai Lama delegated the power to appoint the cabinet to the parliament, which since 1960 has been directly elected by the people.

Ironically, the parliament began to elect members of his family, and the most high-profile was his elder brother Gyalo as the Prime Minister.

The elder brother played a key role in seeking US Government support in 1950s-60s, and paradoxically he was also instrumental in opening a dialogue with the Chinese Government in the early 1980s.

Nonetheless, he is controversial partly because of his autocratic personality.

Not surprisingly, Gyalo was eased out without completing his term as the Prime Minister, partly because of his incapability to cope with a democratic-environment-in-exile polity.

In 2000, another reform was instituted by the Dalai Lama, requiring exile Tibetans to directly elect their Prime Minister with full administrative power except in dealing with China.

Tibetans in 27 countries voted on a single day, with more than 80 per cent electing Professor Samdhong Rinpoche as the first Prime Minister. He didn't appoint any member of the Dalai Lama's family to his cabinet. In the parliament, only a nephew was elected as an ordinary member among 46 parliamentarians and he faced disciplinary action for violating parliamentary rules and regulations.

Clearly, the experience of the Dalai Lama's family in the nascent Tibetan democratic system reflects that they don't necessarily get a free ride.

More importantly, the Dalai Lama never appointed his family members to positions of influence, even when he was permitted to do so (1960-90) and those who did were elected by the parliament.

The truth, then, is far removed from Backman's claim that the Dalai Lama "appointed" his family members to positions of prominence.

Firstly, between 1960 and 1972, when the Dalai Lama was "quiet" and never ventured outside of India, Tibet went through brutal suppression under China, when thousands of people perished.

From 1973 to 1986, the Dalai Lama made limited trips abroad, but suppression continued.

From 1987 to 2007, when the Dalai Lama made the most trips abroad and finally put Tibet in the international map, Backman suggests he keep quiet.

It is hypocritical to suggest the Dalai Lama refrain from speaking out for the welfare of 6 million Tibetans when Backman himself speaks out and writes columns and books to pay his rent and put food on his table.

Last time I checked, free speech is universal. It is noble to speak for millions of suffering people, and especially to speak out against authoritarian regimes.

It is certainly not just the privilege of the few to make a living by criticising others.

Dr Lobsang Sangay is a scholar on Tibet at the law school of Harvard University.

Perhaps it is time to really evaluate every vehicle that has been presented at this time(Buddhism,Christianity, Judaism, Islam,etc)! IMHO, these are pieces of a very large puzzle that has been intentionally hidden from the masses.

The first question that pops on the menu is, "How has any of these vehicles benefited the Planet and the Beings occupying it at this critical moment"? IMHO, if we want something totally new to benefit the Planet and everyone on it, we need to use discernment with everything that has been presented to us for the last 1,000 years! Creativity is at an all time low!

We have been presented with New Age Touchy,Feely spiritualism in multiple layers (moving to another dimension;love & light;mass ascension, etc.) in which one can quote some ancient master that not has not walked on the earth in centuries or follow the teachings of an ordained(promoted) representative to feel good at the moment. But is it really functional at this time? 97% of the Earth population is suffering from Poverty, Delusion and Anxiety!

IMHO, we are at the time that it is time for everyone with a pair of Eyes, Ear, Feet and an A@Hole to stand up and stand in their own Sovereignty! From my understanding of Spiritual training, it is at times like NOW in which spirit is able to grow from Challenge! Quoting is nice but the proof is in the pudding at the Crossroads. We are at the crossroads now.

We are unique representations of a Extremely Powerful Force! It is time to stand up!

5th January 2012 20:37

trenairio

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

Ok, China has done a lot to develop Tibetan infrastructure minimally. That is good. and like any other protest China cracks down, if the protestor is Han, Sichuan, Tibetan etc. the Chinese will smite. I guess the highest number of protestors may be from Tibet, as you said that may be a minority of 'displeased' Tibetans, and 'most' Tibetans have no despite for Chinese rule.

Quote:

When we spent time in Nepal, Tibetans were arriving daily over the border, escaping the persecution

Quote:

Last time I checked, free speech is universal. It is noble to speak for millions of suffering people, and especially to speak out against authoritarian regimes.

Everything you said, should be true. You claim you have visited. Yes, by habit, the Chinese communists would batter any organized religious group.

5th January 2012 20:57

araucaria

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

If this forum were to decide at any moment that it had no time for the likes of the Dalai Lama, then I would start looking for the unsubscribe button.

quote from page:
Who and What is the Dalai Lama? A holy man or wholly a fraud with Nazi connections

What follows is an expose of a man, The (so-called) Dalai Lama, who is regarded to be one of most holy men in the
world today. What the following evidence shows is that this man, The Dalai Lama is one of the greatest frauds the world
has ever seen. The Dalai Lama claims he is a holy man, but how did he get that title? He got it from the previous Dalai
Lama, a brutal slave owner, who corresponded with Adoph Hitler and praised Hitler. Hitler and the head of the Nazi
Gestapo and SS, Heinrich Himmler, in turn sent a contingent of his private body guard, the notorious and murderous SS
thugs to meet with the previous Dalai Lama, bearing gifts, and to invade Tibetan villages violating the villagers and
forcing them to submit to head measuring and tooth removals and full body searches to decide whether they were
racially pure enough to be allowed to live.

quote from page:
Who and What is the Dalai Lama? A holy man or wholly a fraud with Nazi connections

What follows is an expose of a man, The (so-called) Dalai Lama, who is regarded to be one of most holy men in the
world today. What the following evidence shows is that this man, The Dalai Lama is one of the greatest frauds the world
has ever seen. The Dalai Lama claims he is a holy man, but how did he get that title? He got it from the previous Dalai
Lama, a brutal slave owner, who corresponded with Adoph Hitler and praised Hitler. Hitler and the head of the Nazi
Gestapo and SS, Heinrich Himmler, in turn sent a contingent of his private body guard, the notorious and murderous SS
thugs to meet with the previous Dalai Lama, bearing gifts, and to invade Tibetan villages violating the villagers and
forcing them to submit to head measuring and tooth removals and full body searches to decide whether they were
racially pure enough to be allowed to live.

quote from page:
Who and What is the Dalai Lama? A holy man or wholly a fraud with Nazi connections

What follows is an expose of a man, The (so-called) Dalai Lama, who is regarded to be one of most holy men in the
world today. What the following evidence shows is that this man, The Dalai Lama is one of the greatest frauds the world
has ever seen. The Dalai Lama claims he is a holy man, but how did he get that title? He got it from the previous Dalai
Lama, a brutal slave owner, who corresponded with Adoph Hitler and praised Hitler. Hitler and the head of the Nazi
Gestapo and SS, Heinrich Himmler, in turn sent a contingent of his private body guard, the notorious and murderous SS
thugs to meet with the previous Dalai Lama, bearing gifts, and to invade Tibetan villages violating the villagers and
forcing them to submit to head measuring and tooth removals and full body searches to decide whether they were
racially pure enough to be allowed to live.

Thank you.
Is he different than the head figure in Vatican?

Many people simply refuse to see the facts as is.

Actually many people know the facts as is and our therefore not manipulated by articles that are not interested in conveying truth but in distorting it for an intended agenda.

Gandhi corresponded with Hitler! Are we going to make another thread, Gandhi is personification of evil. I certainly hope not.

There is so much violence out there today, people with blood on their hands and people are attacking the Dalai Lama, a man of non- violence for being evil.

6th January 2012 03:36

another bob

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

Quote:

Posted by Dorjezigzag

There is so much violence out there today, people with blood on their hands and people are attacking the Dalai Lama, a man of non- violence for being evil.

As it so happens, people typically have to die first before they can begin to recognize how totally unqualified humans are to judge each other. If they can die while alive, that works better for all concerned. You can generally tell a wise one (a greatful dead) by the freedom from judgment they embody. This does not mean they are naive. They've simply realized directly that they themselves are the world.

:yo:

6th January 2012 23:13

Second Son

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

The Dalai Lama is not a pacifist, he was quoted saying that sometimes war in necessary. When? When troops are getting ready to usurp you and your entourage from posts of wealth and privilege, while bringing the unclean masses something close to dignity and self respect, that is when. The "holy man" can be seen viewing his troops, in preparation to protect his status at the top of the social and religious caste system which was Tibet's shameful hallmark when "his holiness" was in charge.

I would be willing to bet anyone here that is left unmolested, the good lama would still be presiding over the most backwards, unjust, and disgusting regime ever to infect planet earth.

Would a true pacifist really take huge contributions from the single most vile alphabet agency on earth? Would a "man of peace" really take money from the CIA, and organization which has toppled more democratically elected governments than any other?

Would a "gentle soul" do this:

The Issue of Religious Intolerance

In March 1996, in an aggressive and threatening manner, the Dalai Lama stated that there would be a forceful implementation of the ban against those who persisted in the practice of Dorje Shugden.
Vigilante mobs of fanatical followers of the Dalai Lama, acting in the spirit of his public pronouncements, stormed into temples and private homes, seizing and destroying pictures and statues of Dorje Shugden – even taking them from shrines. Mobs attacked Dorje Shugden practitioners and their homes with stones and petrol bombs, destroying their possessions and threatening their lives.
People lost their jobs, children were expelled from schools, and monks were expelled from monasteries; foreign travel permits and visas were denied; refugee aid, monastic stipends and allowances were cut off; and forced signature campaigns were undertaken. In these and many other ways that made Tibetans outcasts from their own already exiled community, the Dalai Lama, in the guise of his government, ministers and associated organisations, introduced a reign of terror against tens of thousands of his own people, making restrictions similar to those imposed on the Jewish people in Germany in the early years of Hitler’s rule.
This persecution has been enforced since 1996 and still continues.*

*quoted from the Western Shugden Society

7th January 2012 00:29

00101

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

i don't Know anything about this man, who dare say he or she does; has or is in contact with the creature, is the creature or is fiddling.

Objectivity, an intended agenda of distortion.

edit: All I heard is that The chinese made it illegal to reincarnate without permission of chinese rule. For this i take my head off.. for both paties =]p

..madhatter lol@self

7th January 2012 09:30

Tarka the Duck

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

Quote:

Posted by Second Son

The Issue of Religious Intolerance

In March 1996, in an aggressive and threatening manner, the Dalai Lama stated that there would be a forceful implementation of the ban against those who persisted in the practice of Dorje Shugden.
Vigilante mobs of fanatical followers of the Dalai Lama, acting in the spirit of his public pronouncements, stormed into temples and private homes, seizing and destroying pictures and statues of Dorje Shugden – even taking them from shrines. Mobs attacked Dorje Shugden practitioners and their homes with stones and petrol bombs, destroying their possessions and threatening their lives.
People lost their jobs, children were expelled from schools, and monks were expelled from monasteries; foreign travel permits and visas were denied; refugee aid, monastic stipends and allowances were cut off; and forced signature campaigns were undertaken. In these and many other ways that made Tibetans outcasts from their own already exiled community, the Dalai Lama, in the guise of his government, ministers and associated organisations, introduced a reign of terror against tens of thousands of his own people, making restrictions similar to those imposed on the Jewish people in Germany in the early years of Hitler’s rule.
This persecution has been enforced since 1996 and still continues.*

*quoted from the Western Shugden Society

The Shugden issue is an extremely complex historical and politically-motivated debate in Tibetan Buddhism. As a western practitioner, I would never presume to pretend I even half understood all that is involved!

It does concern me that some people are so quick to believe words of hatred and division, without carrying out any research or seeming to question the motives of those who wrote them.

You quoted from The Western Shugden Society.
Are you familiar with this group and its origins?
Are you familiar with the New Kadampa Trust that is behind the WSS?
Are you familiar with Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, the founder of the NKT?

I don't think anyone would argue that people in the eye of the public must be prepared to stand up to scrutiny. The problems arise when the sources that are used to "reveal the truth" are not themselves scrutinised...please do some homework cutting and pasting such questionable material.

Ultimately, we all chose to believe what we chose to believe.
On a coarse level, we believe what reflects our own projections and supports our view of the world...the world is a mirror.

Kathie

7th January 2012 09:38

Tony

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

What is in your heart?
What do you see?

If you let me take your heart I will prove to you,
We will never be apart if I'm part of you.
Open up your eyes now, tell me what you see.
It is no surprise now, what you see is me.
Big and black the clouds may be, time will pass away.
If you put your trust in me I'll make bright your day.
Look into these eyes now, tell me what you see.
Don't you realise now, what you see is me.
Tell me what you see.
Listen to me one more time, how can I get through?
Can't you try to see that I'm trying to get to you?
Open up your eyes now, tell me what you see.
It is no surprise now, what you see is me.
Tell me what you see.
Listen to me one more time, how can I get through?
Can't you try to see that I'm trying to get to you?
Open up your eyes now, tell me what you see.
It is no surprise now, what you see is me.

"Are you familiar with this group and its origins?
Are you familiar with the New Kadampa Trust that is behind the WSS?
Are you familiar with Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, the founder of the NKT?"

I will answer all of these questions, Tarka, AFTER you tell me what makes your blind obeisance to the Dalai Lama any different from the unshakable faith most Catholics have in their Pope? I know it is currently hip and cool to be a Buddhist... not so for those crusty, staid Catholics... no, that kind of imperialistic dogma is just NOT as accepted in the new age circles, in fact I would even go so far as to say it is anathema.

The Dalai Lama is a man, one who likes his power and his station in life. He has embraced fascism, which let's face it, is not a whole lot different than the government of Tibet before he was ousted... hence his affinity for it. He has taken money in the MILLIONS fromr the most evil, corrupt, and anti-democratic agency on planet earth. He presided over the most backward archaic society which existed at the time. Not since the middle ages had there been such a corrupt theocracy. Peasants were chained in the public square, blinded, had their hands amputated for petty theft, had their tongues cut out, etc. Tibet made feudal Europe look like a day spa :eek: and I have no reason to think that any of that would have changed were it not for an outside force which upset the sickening status quo. The good Lama has been vehemently intolerant to other religious sects, just as he expects the world to open up its collective door to HIS brand of theology. Seems even though he is the "top dog" he is still as petty, jealous, and demanding... very similar, in fact to that uncool god of the old testament... go figure :confused:

ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE FACTS, Tarka. Just like it is a fact that Cardinal John Ratzenberger, now the Pope, played a nauseating game of "hide the perpetrator" when he was charged with investigating the church's child abuse. You're gonna love this Tarka! On a whim I just did a google search under the heading "Buddhist sex scandal"... guess what? I'll let you look for yourself, Tarka, because I am actually looking for that old movie that was all the rage a few years back that showed monks in competing sects fighting violently amongst themselves. So I will pop some corn, and get ready to be entertained by a bunch of unassuming men in dresses, who are every bit as self indulgent and hypocritical as any pedophile priest ever was.

Please remember... facts are facts, and cannot be disputed, and that is why what you (and all those way less cool catholics) do is called "BELIEF".

Touche!

8th January 2012 08:22

Dorjezigzag

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

Quote:

Posted by Second Son

The Dalai Lama is not a pacifist, he was quoted saying that sometimes war in necessary. When? When troops are getting ready to usurp you and your entourage from posts of wealth and privilege, while bringing the unclean masses something close to dignity and self respect, that is when. The "holy man" can be seen viewing his troops, in preparation to protect his status at the top of the social and religious caste system which was Tibet's shameful hallmark when "his holiness" was in charge.

I would be willing to bet anyone here that is left unmolested, the good lama would still be presiding over the most backwards, unjust, and disgusting regime ever to infect planet earth.

Would a true pacifist really take huge contributions from the single most vile alphabet agency on earth? Would a "man of peace" really take money from the CIA, and organization which has toppled more democratically elected governments than any other?

Would a "gentle soul" do this:

The Issue of Religious Intolerance

In March 1996, in an aggressive and threatening manner, the Dalai Lama stated that there would be a forceful implementation of the ban against those who persisted in the practice of Dorje Shugden.
Vigilante mobs of fanatical followers of the Dalai Lama, acting in the spirit of his public pronouncements, stormed into temples and private homes, seizing and destroying pictures and statues of Dorje Shugden – even taking them from shrines. Mobs attacked Dorje Shugden practitioners and their homes with stones and petrol bombs, destroying their possessions and threatening their lives.
People lost their jobs, children were expelled from schools, and monks were expelled from monasteries; foreign travel permits and visas were denied; refugee aid, monastic stipends and allowances were cut off; and forced signature campaigns were undertaken. In these and many other ways that made Tibetans outcasts from their own already exiled community, the Dalai Lama, in the guise of his government, ministers and associated organisations, introduced a reign of terror against tens of thousands of his own people, making restrictions similar to those imposed on the Jewish people in Germany in the early years of Hitler’s rule.
This persecution has been enforced since 1996 and still continues.*

Facts are not necessarily true...
Why else is there something called 'fact checking'?
A fact is a verifiable statement. It can be verified to be incorrect.

An interesting case in point is that the pope's name is not "John Ratzenberger", but "Joseph Ratzinger."

In fact:
"John Deszo Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)[1] is an American actor"
(Granted, it is from Wikipedia)

Perhaps toning it down a little, in the face of this, would not be a bad thing.

As with most things, I am not sure where to stand with regards to the Dalai Lama. However, most of the critical information I've seen here, seems to be as much conjecture as anything. Statements made that appear to be 'verified facts', are quite possibly sensationalist statements made by those trying to cast the DL's image into darkness. They seem to be just that: statements.

I did see a pretty good documentary recently which showed him to be how most people regard him: a good hearted soul with the best interest for his and all people in mind.

His supposed attack on the rival sect seemed very much justified since this rival sect consisted mostly of proven charlatans claiming to perform magic, charging money to poor people and not delivering anything.
It was actually the people going crazy with anger that did the damage. The DL clearly regretted this outcome.
Then again, this documentary could have been a propaganda piece as well.

If it were a competition, I'd say the DL is winning on points here. The arguments in his favor appear to be much more balanced and free from emotional manipulation than those against. The testimony of people's personal experiences are of course very strong, even though I cannot exclude the possibility that those are made up as well. (No offense, obviously)

Point is you can't know what you do not experience. If people have blissfull experiences around the DL or benefit from his message, that is good enough for them.

We do have to learn not to put stock in other people, especially because we cannot know who or what they really are and represent.
Take and use the information, but do not personally invest in anybody. It easily leads to fanaticism as has also been exemplified here.

Didn't mean to sound preachy.

Due to the sensationalist title, I had meant to avoid this thread, but a friend just quoted the Dalai Lama to me, so I felt I had to check it out.

8th January 2012 10:33

Tarka the Duck

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

Quote:

Posted by Second Son

"Are you familiar with this group and its origins?
Are you familiar with the New Kadampa Trust that is behind the WSS?
Are you familiar with Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, the founder of the NKT?"

I will answer all of these questions, Tarka, AFTER you tell me what makes your blind obeisance to the Dalai Lama any different from the unshakable faith most Catholics have in their Pope? I know it is currently hip and cool to be a Buddhist... not so for those crusty, staid Catholics... no, that kind of imperialistic dogma is just NOT as accepted in the new age circles, in fact I would even go so far as to say it is anathema.

The Dalai Lama is a man, one who likes his power and his station in life. He has embraced fascism, which let's face it, is not a whole lot different than the government of Tibet before he was ousted... hence his affinity for it. He has taken money in the MILLIONS fromr the most evil, corrupt, and anti-democratic agency on planet earth. He presided over the most backward archaic society which existed at the time. Not since the middle ages had there been such a corrupt theocracy. Peasants were chained in the public square, blinded, had their hands amputated for petty theft, had their tongues cut out, etc. Tibet made feudal Europe look like a day spa :eek: and I have no reason to think that any of that would have changed were it not for an outside force which upset the sickening status quo. The good Lama has been vehemently intolerant to other religious sects, just as he expects the world to open up its collective door to HIS brand of theology. Seems even though he is the "top dog" he is still as petty, jealous, and demanding... very similar, in fact to that uncool god of the old testament... go figure :confused:

ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE FACTS, Tarka. Just like it is a fact that Cardinal John Ratzenberger, now the Pope, played a nauseating game of "hide the perpetrator" when he was charged with investigating the church's child abuse. You're gonna love this Tarka! On a whim I just did a google search under the heading "Buddhist sex scandal"... guess what? I'll let you look for yourself, Tarka, because I am actually looking for that old movie that was all the rage a few years back that showed monks in competing sects fighting violently amongst themselves. So I will pop some corn, and get ready to be entertained by a bunch of unassuming men in dresses, who are every bit as self indulgent and hypocritical as any pedophile priest ever was.

Please remember... facts are facts, and cannot be disputed, and that is why what you (and all those way less cool catholics) do is called "BELIEF".

Touche!

Thanks for the reply, SS.

Quote:

I will answer all of these questions, Tarka, AFTER you tell me what makes your blind obeisance to the Dalai Lama any different from the unshakable faith most Catholics have in their Pope?

I find much of value in the teachings given by the Dalai Lama – as I do in the teachings of many other people.

I personally wouldn't call the respect I have for him “blind”, as I hold to the idea that he constantly puts forward:

“The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.”

I look forward to hearing your response to my questions regarding the NKT and the WSS.

Thanks
Kathie

8th January 2012 10:56

Tarka the Duck

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

For those who are interested in the background to the Dorje Shugden dispute between the Dalai Lama and the New Kadampa Tradition, the BBC made a documentary about it.

Well Tarka, as you did not really answer my question in a satisfactory way, about what makes your adherence to your faith any different than any other's. I will not answer your question either. Frankly I hadn't planned to anyway, because studying some small splinter sects of an archaic superstition in a type of "Comparative Religious Studies 101" to prove a point to you would be counter productive in my opinion. I don't care if the cults you talked about worship an English speaking purple dinosaur, or a fairy princess... it doesn't matter, that is what makes my "belief" so beautiful... I believe if you need a guru, teacher, priest, lama, rabbi, or pope to find ANY answer, you are already on the path to nowhere. I also believe that anything and everything you need to know is contained within, NOT a moldy text, which has been unchanged for centuries. Because of my unshakable belief in my own autonomy, sovereignty, and personal power, I never need to pick up a book written by man. I have read about and studied religions extensively, and it has only served to strengthen my belief in ME.

So you can turn up your nose to those silly little cults which have been systematically demonized by your Lama, and his incredibly wealthy entourage, because those cults are less popular in your circles than your Buddhism. To me is it all a bunch of superstitious rubbish, and i will leave it at that.

All religions (even the cool ones) are founded by and controlled by men. Men who are corruptible, and who like politicians get more passionate about insuring they stay entrenched in POWER than they are about their faith. This will always be true, Tarka. IMHO.

I think rather than study some lame Buddhist sects, I will re-read The Hobbit, because to me it is way more entertaining, and every bit as real.

Peace.

8th January 2012 13:58

Tarka the Duck

Re: Dalai Lama is "personification of evil"

Hello again, SS

I'm sorry you didn't find my answer to your question satisfactory.

Quote:

Because of my unshakable belief in my own autonomy, sovereignty, and personal power, I never need to pick up a book written by man

Then I wish you happiness and fulfilment on your journey.

It may be a very different journey from mine, but I don't feel any need to justify my journey to you, or have you justify your journey to me.